Conventional paper clips are frequently used to bind sheets of paper temporarily. Such clips typically consist of a single linear piece of metal or plastic manipulated to form two interconnected, elongated loops. In use, the loops are separated slightly and a quantity of paper is inserted between them. Designed for manual operation, conventional paper clips are neither automatically dispensed nor automatically functional. Paper clips additionally tend to disengage from their associated papers under certain circumstances, diminishing their reliability as fasteners of, for example, the pages of important documents.
By contrast, existing staples are often employed to fasten pages of consequential documents, sometimes permanently. Like a paper clip, the staple is usually formed of a single linear piece of metal. Unlike the paper clip, however, the staple is initially patterned by creating two parallel legs depending perpendicularly from the opposite ends of a base. The staple legs are designed to penetrate the pertinent papers (at two locations) and then be curved, either inward or outward against the rear surface of the lowermost sheet, to retain the papers in place. Although mechanical staplers have been developed to dispense individual staples, the staples function as fasteners only by penetrating, and thereby necessarily damaging, the sheets. Accordingly, staples are rarely used to fasten fragile or delicate papers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,245 to Sato discloses a hand-held stapler and an associated staple designed to pierce papers (typically slips and corrugated cardboard) at only one, rather than two, locations. The Sato patent also illustrates, in FIGS. 30 and 31, a "temporary" staple having three interconnected parts, designated the supporting portion, the projecting portion, and the stapling leg portion. According to that patent, by bending the edge of the stapling leg portion near the edge of the base paper, the supporting and stapling leg portions of the temporary staple can be used to clip the base paper to a slip without injuring the slip.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,279,046 to Shapiro and 3,665,508 to Mashita disclose other exemplary clipping devices. The Shapiro patent, for example, illustrates an apparatus designed to clip socks and other goods containing layers of fabrics. Utilizing a generally "C"-shaped clip fed into a pair of jaws or levers, the apparatus initially forces the clip toward the goods as the jaws close and then crimps the hook to form the substantially triangular structure shown in FIG. 9 of that patent. The Mashita patent similarly illustrates an applicator for generally "U"- or "C"-shaped clips, a portion of each of which is, in turn, contacted by a straight-edge press plate fitted into the applicator's handle.